The Digital Lowdown

iTunes Tips

Awhile ago (a long while ago), I published some iTunes tips.  I figure that it's time to update them.  So from time to time, I'm going to highlight some of my favorite tools and tips for working with the iTunes store.  Today, I'll start off with one that I just discovered. 

I like to think of myself as an iTunes store expert.  And yet, regularly, I find some nice surprises. They are not really like easter eggs in video games because they really are very public.  You just have to know where to look.

The recent find was shown to me at MIDEM last week:   iTunes Charts

This page allows you to select any chart (i.e., music, podcast, app, movie, album, song, genre, etc.) and see all the various country charts on one page.  One especially nice feature is to see charts for genres that don't have a home page, e.g., New Age.  

Admittedly, it's great to search thru charts and find an album that BFM is distributing.  And luckily we have several albums on various charts.  But it's also very handy to see what kind of music is charting because this can act as a guideline to what consumers are purchasing.  It's like a ton of Billboard charts all rolled onto one page.

Happy charting!

What We Do

Today, I went up to iTunes with Heather.  We do this trip several times per year.  Nothing replaces this kind of face-to-face interaction.  Chatting with the editors of the various pages among their crowded cubicles is always fun.  We discussed some great promotional opportunities for a wide variety of genres. As a result of this quick visit, we will have a lot of new featured placements for the next couple of months.

I am always amazed at how welcoming and friendly the iTunes folks are.  Actually, it's the same way at all the digital services we work with.  (I can't imagine the old Tower Music buyers being this accessible and nice.)

Also, I got to hang out with a few nice lads from across the pond.  That was very cool!